Affiliations: [a] Center for Brain Health, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA | [b] Department of Family Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA | [c] Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA | [d] University of Goteborg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden | [e] Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA

Abstract: Previous studies showed that memantine inhibits tau hyperphosphorylation in vitro. In this study, phosphorylated tau (P-tau) and total tau (T-tau) were measured before and after 6 month treatment with memantine in 12 subjects ranging from normal cognition with subjective memory complaints, through mild cognitive impairment to mild Alzheimer's disease. Thirteen non-treated individuals served as controls. Treatment was associated with a reduction of P-tau in subjects with normal cognition. No treatment effects were seen among impaired individuals, suggesting that longer treatment time may be necessary to achieve biomarker effect in this group.